Highway to Inferno: On the Road with the Oregon Proud Boys
Law-and-order rebels. Freedom-loving fascists. What makes the far right tick?
“My daddy served in the Army, where he lost his right eye
But he flew a flag out in our yard ‘till the day that he died”
Toby Keith’s daddy isn’t the only one. I’m idling on a sun-baked Oregon interstate just south of Portland, surrounded by lifted trucks carrying on the Keith tradition. The light summer breeze makes the countless flags dance in the shimmering heat. Trump 2020. Blue Lives Matter. American. Punisher. Gadsden. Confederate.
I don’t have flags myself, but Toby Keith at full volume with the windows rolled down seems like a decent substitute. After all, if you’re going undercover to provide live updates on a far-right event, it’s important to act the part.
The music is something more than tradecraft. Sure, I haven’t listened to “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue” unironically for years. But I did listen to it sincerely at one time, and the truth is there’s part of me I can’t get rid of that loves this dumb song. I let myself sing along, words embedded in my brain from way back:
“And you’ll be sorry you messed with the U S of A,
We’ll put a boot in your ass, it’s the American way!”
